Lager or Ale

[Caffinehog]

Lager or Ale?

[jlttb]

They're indivisible - it's like an up without a down, a left without a right, an offense without a defense.
Still, I voted for Ale.

[skahtboi]

I agree jlttb!

[fretlessman71]

ALE YEAH, BABY! Forget the subtleties of the lager... I want to be hit over the head with malty hoppy sweetness!

But I STILL like Celebrator... ;)

[Stodbrew]

Well... there's a time and a place for both. Generally, I'm an ale guy, but every now and then, I have to have a nice Oktoberfest,
Czech (style) plisner, or a nice, malty bock.

Steve

[Richard English]

Although lagers can be more subtle and have greater variety than those who have experienced only the typical yellow, cold and fizzy type might believe, ales have even greater variety.

Furthermore, the serving possibilities, too, are greater. Ale can be drunk at any temperature from ice-cold to boiling; there is an ale for every food; there is an ale for every occasion.

Stick to lagers and you limit your choices.

[bigmf]

Both! As Richard hinted it might not be preferable to limit your choices. Of course since there are more ale styles and I dont have the facilities to make a true lager, I drink more ale.

M.

[Summer]

Ale does it for this gal ;)

(I do drink lagers too, but...)

[Richard English]

Quote "...Ale does it for this gal ..."

So why is there no US chapter of CAMRA (Chairman this year is a woman, Paula Waters, aged 44).

I know of at least one other lady Real Ale enthusiast over there who would be happy to get involved.

[hopjack13]

ale , it has to be! haven't found a lager hoppy enough for me yet! i do agree however , there is a time and place for both.

[Summer]

Originally posted by Richard English

So why is there no US chapter of CAMRA (Chairman this year is a woman, Paula Waters, aged 44).

I know of at least one other lady Real Ale enthusiast over there who would be happy to get involved. [/B]

I guess the answer to your question is that I'm not from the US :p

But CAMRA does good work!! People in the US should unite and form their own REAL ALE support group!!

J

[Richard English]

My mistake, Summer.

However there is sadly no way of indicating one's whereabouts in one's profile and I usually assume that most here are from the USA - since this is, of course, a US site.

I am from England, of course, which is one reason why I support CAMRA. And I believe there should be a US Chapter or Chapters.

And you are from...?

[Summer]

Originally posted by Richard English
My mistake, Summer.

However there is sadly no way of indicating one's whereabouts in one's profile and I usually assume that most here are from the USA - since this is, of course, a US site.

And you are from...?

It's ok, Richard :) I'm from Finland. And I agree with you about the profile!!

[Richard English]

Finland I don't know - the nearest I have ever been is Sweden and Denmark, neither country being much shakes as far as good beer was concerned.

Can you get good ale in Finland nowadays?

[Summer]

I don't drink Finnish Ale, didn't even now that it existed until I read this article by Michael Jackson. http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000810.html

You can get lots of good Ales from UK in Finland. Like Fuller's London Pride (one of my favourites), ESB, Young's Special London Ale, Young's Bitter etc. New Caste Brown Ale, John Smith's Extra Smooth, and many more. Many of those you can get on tap in good pubs :)

But you can't get Smithwick's Ale (Irish, sorry Richard!!) in Finland (my alltime no 1 beer!!). But of course you can get Kilkenny Irish Beer. Which actually in the 1990's used to be Smithwick's Ale sold by the name Kilkenny in Finland. Now they sell this real Kilkenny, that has smoother taste and creamier head that Smithwick's. But I still prefer the latter...

J

[wortchillergoal]

I too drink ales most of the time. I also brew mostly ales as the temp. thing comes into play. I do find though that at certain times a lager is the way to go, like after hockey. I like bocks also.

[Wilson]

I like both. I brew only ales because of the temps required, but love a good crisp pils.

[Summer]

Originally posted by Richard English
Can you get good ale in Finland nowadays? [/B]

Sorry Richard, I forgot, there is one finnish Ale brewed by a big Finnish brewery, Sinebrychoff. It's called Velvet III (alc. content 4,7%). I have tasted it a log time ago, and it didn't really impress me then. I remember it had quite soft malty taste, a bit dry and strong on hops. But I have to give it another try to say what I really think about it.

J

[Fast_Eddy]

There is a huge amount of intersection taste-wise between many lagers and many ales. If I had to choose, I wouldn't. I abstain.

[hops99]

If I had to choose, I wouldn't. I abstain.

Well said!

[Richard English]

All the Fuller's and Young's beers you mention are good although Young's SLA is the only bottle-conditioned one. The others are best on draught.

Newcastle Brown is a strong but relatively poor bottled beer whose reputation is greater than its merit. John Smith's smooth is a nitrokeg beer, not a Real Ale, and is good only by comparison with the likes of A-B Budweiser.

Smithwicks is Irish and is brewed by Guinness. It is not Real Ale but, again, is good compared with most of the chemical fizz beers.

Beers dispensed "on tap" (that is, by means of a font driven by gas pressure) will never be much good. Cask beer should be dispensed by hand-pump from a cellar as only in that way can proper maturity be assured. The difference between the taste of the two types of beer and dispense is massive.

Those who have drunk properly conditioned and served cask beer will know what I mean; those who have not must take my word for it.

[S.F.B.]

I voted ale because that is what I reach for first. I do enjoy lager from time to time also.

[DreamWeaver]

I'd bet most folks can't tell the difference.. I know I flunked an Ale vs Lager test. Only the yeast knows for sure...

[Richard English]

Quote "...I'd bet most folks can't tell the difference.. I know I flunked an Ale vs Lager test...."

Then I have to assume that you have not yet had the good fortune to try a reasonable range of each type.

It is true that there are some very light ales (in both body and flavour) as there are some darkish and relatively full-bodied lagers. A non-expert offered a blind tasting between a bottle of very light ale and a bottle of full bodied lager might be mistaken. However, there could be no doubt whatsoever between a "normal! lager and a "normal" ale.

Try a blind tasting of Fuller's 1845 against a bottle of real Budweiser (Czechvar in the USA) and then tell me there's no difference!

[DreamWeaver]

I suppose you may be correct. I am a novice and was speaking from a homebrewers point of view. As Jay Leno just pointed out in his "Jaywalking", most "normal" Americans don't even know who the vice president is so I still hold my ground on this issue. I believe most "normal" folks would'nt know the difference between Ale & Lager. -DRWeaver-

[Stodbrew]

The President has a vice? What is it? It's certainly not drinking!:D

[Richard English]

Quote, "...I believe most "normal" folks would'nt know the difference between Ale & Lager. ..."

That depends on how you define "normal". If if by "normal" you mean the beer-drinkers amongst that 10% of the world's population that happens to live in the USA, then you're probably right.

In the remaining 90% of the world's population it would depend on what their drinking culture was. It would not be true of the UK, I feel sure.

[hops99]

Well, SOMEONE has to come to lager's defense! I don't believe in segregating the two, and I certainly don't let the macro crap lagers bias my opinion, as others do. The fact is, I can find hundreds, if not thousands of great lagers across the world, and I enjoy a clean, hoppy Dortmunder or rich Double Bock as much as an IPA or Stout.

For those of you who still lump all lagers into the Budweiser and Miller group, why not try a Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold or Eliot Ness Vienna, Penn St. Nikolaus Bock or Weizen, Victory Pils, Bob's 47, or maybe a Capital Amber or Oktoberfest? All excellent BEERS.

Don't get me wrong, I love great ales just as much, and like most others, I don't let a few awful ales ruin it for me. Hello, anyone out there have a Genny Cream lately? So why is it that's not the case for lagers? UNFAIR! :)

Here's to the appreciation of all craft beers!

[Caffinehog]

I enjoy a good crisp pils. And the Dortmunder Gold from the great lakes brewing company, which is right in my backyard, is fantastic. And a good doppelbock is, well, good.
Regardless of this, I still have a greater love of ales. But I'm really starting to enjoy the California Common's.

[MeridianFC]

Ale or Lager?

Yes.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by Richard English
[
Beers dispensed "on tap" (that is, by means of a font driven by gas pressure) will never be much good. Cask beer should be dispensed by hand-pump from a cellar as only in that way can proper maturity be assured. The difference between the taste of the two types of beer and dispense is massive.

Those who have drunk properly conditioned and served cask beer will know what I mean; those who have not must take my word for it. [/B]

I am definitely an ale man and you'll have to take my word for it too. I second what Richard states above.

That said, I do drink lagers too. If I had access to the cask ales Richard does I would probably rarely sway from them.